West Ham win to return to EPL’s top four

West Ham United have jumped above Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool to move back into the top four of the Premier League.

However, injuries to two of their best players might see them struggle to stay there.

Jesse Lingard inspired a 3-2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, with the midfielder running from the halfway line to score one goal while also setting up another for substitute Jarrod Bowen.

Lingard has now scored six goals in eight games since joining on loan from Manchester United in February, a hot streak that has revived his career and earned a recall to the England squad.

“It’s just consistency, I think,” Lingard told Sky Sports.

“I’ve not played the last two years, so to play week-in, week-out is great and the team has helped me tremendously.”

The victory took West Ham to fourth place – the final Champions League qualification position – with eight games remaining.

The London club have never played in Europe’s top competition.

Manager David Moyes has his work cut out for him though without midfielder Declan Rice, reportedly for at least four weeks, and injury-prone forward Michail Antonio, who left the field against Wolves in the 32nd minute with what appears to be a hamstring issue.

Pablo Fornals scored the other goal for West Ham, who led 3-0 after 38 minutes only to be pegged back by Leander Dendoncker’s header in the 44th and a goal by substitute Fabio Silva in the 68th.

West Ham are a point ahead of fifth-place Chelsea and four behind third-place Leicester City.

“West Ham have a chance of the Champions League and nobody would have envisaged that last season,” Moyes told Sky Sports.

“All those big teams trying to get to fourth, we’re going to compete with them all the way.”

Everton conceded an 86th-minute equaliser in a 1-1 draw with visitors Crystal Palace.

The Toffees let slip a victory that would have lifted Carlo Ancelotti’s team within three points of West Ham, with a game in hand.

Michy Batshuayi came on as a substitute for Palace in the 84th minute and made an immediate impact by driving a left-footed shot into the bottom corner.

Colombia playmaker James Rodriguez had marked his first appearance for Everton in six weeks by breaking the deadlock in the 56th minute.

Everton stay in eighth place, still well in the hunt for the European positions, while Palace are 12th.